ai4bharat/Pralekha huggingface dataset:
PIB Headquarters
PRESS NOTE
A permanent Philatelic Exhibition was inaugurated at the historic heritage building where first electric theatre was housed at Anna Road HPO complex, Chennai, on 15th August, 2017. Five Exhibitions on the themes - Indian National Movement and Independent India,Postal Communication, Children’s Special, Music, and Women and Women Empowerment,were held so far. The Exhibition has received overwhelming response with more than 1800 students from the city schools visiting it, besides members of public.
The theme for the month of May 2018 is Heritage Sites, as the Museum Day is celebrated on 18th May. A wide variety of stamps on UN declared Heritage Sites are on displayfrom the collections of Philatelist Mr R. Seetharaman. The collections of Philatelist Mr. Subramanian on Heritage Sites are also on display. This Exhibition is expected to receive overwhelming response from heritage lovers. The Exhibition is organized in association with the South India Philatelists’ Association, Chennai.
The exhibits cover all aspects of heritage and the classification by the United Nations. One rare Die Card of 1935 showing the Church of St. TrophimeD’Arles is exhibited.To commemorate the holy month of Ramadan, philatelic exhibits on Mosques by Mr. H. Shahul, are on display.
The primary purpose of this Exhibition is to create awareness and interest among children for pursuing Philately as a hobby, and persons interested in Philately. Short films related to Philately are also screened for the school children at the Exhibition. The Exhibition is open on all working days from 10 am to 6 pm. All the latest stamps issued by the Department are on sale at the venue. Customers can also get their photograph printed instantly on the customised My Stamp for just Rs. 300/-. Customers can open a Philatelic Deposit Account at the Philatelic Bureau, with a minimum amount of Rs 200/- and get all the latest stamps and other materials issued by the Department at their doorstep, free of cost.
Ministry of Road Transport & Highways
Union Minister Shri Nitin Gadkari to visit Zojila and Z-Morh tunnels tomorrow; Pre event media briefing held at Sonamarg J&K
Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Shri Nitin Gadkari will review and inspect work on Zojila and Z – Morh tunnels tomorrow. The minister is on a two day visit to the Union territory of Jammu & Kashmir.
During his visit tomorrow Hon’ble Minister will review the progress on Tunnel 1 and Tunnel 2 at Nilgrar site. Tunnel 1 is a twin tube tunnel of 435 metres in length each and tunnel 2 is 1.95 km long each. These twin tunnels are part of an 18 km long approach road to Zojila west portal. The Minister will also visit the Zojila through the east and west ends.
Prior to the Minister’s visit a Press briefing was held at Sonamarg. Addressing the media persons Executive Director National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation  Brigadier Gurjeet Singh Kambo gave the detailed information about the two tunnel projects.
Shri Kamboo said that the Zojila tunnel project will provide all weather connectivity to the Union Territory of Ladakh. He assured that work on the Zojila Tunnel is in full capacity and NHIDCL is geared up to continue the work in winter months. He stressed for putting in every effort in place to complete the project well before the scheduled date.
Shri Kamboo expressed his satisfaction on the work progress and said that the Zojila tunnel is of a significant importance to the development and tourism for both UTs of J&K and Ladakh as it will provide round the year connectivity to Ladakh region.
Pertinent to mention that, once completed the Zojila tunnel will be India’s longest road tunnel and Asia’s longest bi-directional tunnel. Several bridges are being constructed along this route and a connecting tunnel from Z-Morh in the National Highway-1 to Zojila tunnel will be constructed in the Zojila Ghats between Sonamarg and Kargil. The entire work is divided into two divisions in the 33 km span.
The project site of Zojila tunnel is located on the existing highway  starting from Sonamarg  and ending at Minimarg  at an elevation ranging from 2700m to 3300m. The present site location falls into seismic zone IV and all precautionary measures have been provisioned to safeguard the tunnels, he added.
Ministry of Defence
FRENCH NAVAL SHIPS IN KOCHI
French Naval Ships Tonnerre  and Surcouf  are on a two day good will visit to Kochi. The ships arrived at Cochin Port Trust on 30 Mar 21 and were received by Senior Naval Authorities in the background of fanfare by the naval band.
The French delegation comprising Mr Emmanuel Lenain, French Ambassador in India at New Delhi, Rear Admiral Jacques Fayard, French Joint Forces Commander in the Indian Ocean  and Mrs Lise Talbot Barre, Consul General of France in Puducherry were also present, as part of the visit.
The French delegation and the Commanding Officers of the French Naval ships called on Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Southern Naval Command, V Adm AK Chawla on 30 Mar 21. The ships will be departing Kochi on 01 Apr 21.
Interactions between India and France have evolved into a strong partnership especially in the domain of maritime security. The regular conduct of bilateral exercises, goodwill visits by ships and high level delegation visits involving both the navies are indicative of growth in mutual cooperation and jointmanship.
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Ministry of Steel
SAIL rebounds and posts Net Profit in second quarter,
Registers more than 20% improvement in Turnover
Steel Authority of India Limited , a public sector undertaking under Ministry of Steel has declared the financial results for the second quarter of the current Financial Year 2020-21  which reflects a strong performance. During Q2 FY’21, the Company has posted Profit Before Tax  of Rs 610.32 Crore and Profit After Tax  of Rs 393.32 Crore against loss of Rs 523.03 Crore and Rs 342.84 Crore respectively for PBT and PAT over the Corresponding Period Last Year . The profit achieved during the second quarter of FY’21 reflects the resilience and robust performance by the Company in a fast reviving economy and domestic market which has been battling the adverse impact of the Covid 19 Pandemic during the initials month of the year. Signifying the pick-up in performance and activities, SAIL’s turnover in Q2 FY’21 also registered an improvement of more than 20% over CPLY and stood at Rs 16834.1 Crore. The Earning Before Interest,Taxes, Depreciation and Amortization  of Q2 FY’21 registered an astounding growth of 58.7% over CPLY and stood at Rs 2098.09 Crore. The Company, determined to face every odd thrown by the onset of Covid, performed exceptionally well and maintained the sales growth momentum from June’20 onwards. After the first two months of the FY’21, which were impacted by the pandemic, the cumulative performance has been largely made up by consistently better performance since then. SAIL registered an impressive 31.3% growth in sales during Q2 FY’21 over CPLY.
With the strategic focus on enhancing the saleable steel production, the Company registered the best ever saleable steel Q2 production of 3.752 MT in Q2 FY’21 surpassing the previous best of 3.658 MT achieved during Q2 FY’18. The saleable steel production in Q2 FY’21 grew by 5% over CPLY. The focus on operational efficiency also resulted in improvement in the key Techo-economic parameters during Q2 FY’21 viz. Coke Rate , Blast Furnace Productivity  and Specific Energy Consumption  over CPLY.
Commenting on the performance of the Company in the second quarter of the current Financial Year, Shri Anil Kumar Chaudhary, Chairman, SAIL said, “The year began with unforeseeable challenges, which had engulfed the entire world. It was a time to foster synergy and channelize all our energy and determination to surmount the obstacles and prove our mettle. SAIL Collective did this and the Company registered profit in Q2 FY’21 by braving all odds and exhibiting substantial growth in the operational performance. The Company is determined to perform better in future and is geared up to take all necessary actions to remain a world-class domestic steel producer towards building an Atmanirbhar Bharat”.
Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports
Shri Kiren Rijiju inaugurates Khelo India State Centre of Excellence at Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex, Pune
Union Minister of Youth Affairs & Sports Shri Kiren Rijiju launched the Khelo India State Centre of Excellence  at the Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex at Mhalunge-Balewadi in Pune on Monday. This is the 9th KISCE formally inaugurated by the Union Minister so far and the Maharashtra-based sports complex will focus on three Priority Olympic disciplines – Shooting, Athletics and Cycling.
“Today is a very important day not just for Maharashtra but for entire India. Maharashtra is a very big State and I have seen the potential here. We are happy to extend all kinds of support for the development of all the athletes and even in future we will continue doing so,” said Shri Rijiju at the event.
The Union Minister reaffirmed that the Government is dedicated to strengthen the sports ecosystem in every possible way. “We have made policies to have 1000 Khelo India Centres across all districts of the country. All the rural students can avail all the facilities and support to continue their sports practice. All the best players from these districts in return will be trained at the KISCE to become elite athletes. The State Government and the Central Government have to work in hand and collectively we have to work together to keep strengthening our sports culture.”
The Khelo India State Centre of Excellence  in Pune will be supported financially for renovation to operationalise the 25m electronic target shooting range besides support in providing of road and track cycles. They will also be provided financial support for sports science backup, engagement of coaches, support staff, sports equipment and more. The Sports Authority of India will keep providing technical expertise and assistance on routine basis.
The Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex has played a dominant role in Indian sports history. Some of the major events hosted here include the 2008 Commonwealth Youth Games, the Asia U-16 Basketball Championship for Women in 2009, the Khelo India Youth Games 2019, and more. The Stadium also was the home venue for former I-League team Pune FC and Indian Super League side FC Pune City.
The 9 KISCEs inaugurated so far include:
1. Nagaland- State Sports Academy, IG Stadium Kohima
2. Manipur - Khuman Lampak Sports Complex, Imphal
3. Arunachal Pradesh - Sangey Lhaden Sports Academy, Chimpu Itanagar
4. Mizoram - Rajiv Gandhi Stadium, Aizawl
5. Odisha - Kalinga Stadium, Bhubaneshwar
6. Telangana - Regional Sports School Hakimpet
7. Karnataka - Sh. Jayaprakash Narayan National Youth Centre Bangalore
8. Kerala - GV Raja Sr. Sec. Sports School Thiruvananthapuram
9. Maharashtra - Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex, Balewadi, Pune
With a vision to make India one of the top 10 countries in 2028 Olympics, the Khelo India State Centres of Excellence will ensure that athletes proficient in a certain sport can be given the world-class specialised training and these centers become the best facilities in the country to train athletes in the priority sport for which they have been earmarked.
Prime Minister's Office
PM expresses grief over the loss of lives due to fire at Srisailam hydroelectric plant
The Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi expressed grief over the loss of lives due to fire at the Srisailam hydroelectric plant.
The Prime Minister said, "Fire at the Srisailam hydroelectric plant is deeply unfortunate. My thoughts are with the bereaved families. I hope those injured recover at the earliest."
Ministry of Power
BRICS Energy Report 2021, BRICS Energy Technology Report 2021 and BRICS Energy Research Directory 2021 launched virtually by Shri Krishan Pal Gurjar
Shri Krishan Pal Gurjar chairs “Meeting of BRICS Ministers of Energy”
Union Minister of State for Power and Heavy Industries,Shri Krishan Pal Gurjar, today chaired the “Meeting of BRICS Ministers of Energy” under the Chairship of India. The Energy Ministers of BRICS Countries and delegates attended the virtual meeting.During the Meeting, BRICS Energy Report 2021, BRICS Energy Technology Report 2021 and BRICS Energy Research Directory 2021 were launched virtually by Shri Gurjar, in the presence of the Energy Ministers of BRICS Countries. This was the 6th meeting of BRICS Energy Ministers and a joint communique was adopted.
Addressing the meet, Shri Gurjar emphasised upon the need of promoting energy efficiency and renewables to combat adverse effect of climate change. He also welcomed the efforts made by Energy professionals from Brazil, India, China South Africa and Russia in ensuring regular power supply despite difficult circumstances due to Covid 19 conditions. During the Summit,India also reiterated focus on one sun, one world and one grid as the initiative proposed by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi.
Shri Gurjar underlined that India is committed to improving the quality of life of its citizens by ensuring adequacy of electricity availability. He said, “The ‘Power for All’ by 2022 program is a major step in this direction. We have achieved universal access. We added 28 million consumers in just about 18 months, which was the fastest expansion access anywhere in the world, and much of it is due to the fact that we went in for renewables in a major way.”
The Ministers from other BRICS countries, Russia, China, Brazil and South Africa also highlighted their targets and achievements in the field of energy transition and climate change. This Energy Ministers’ Summit of BRICS countries was the concluding event as part of the energy dialogue between member countries, since April 2021. Various events like hydrogen webinar, building energy efficiency and battery storage were conducted and saw participation of large number of experts from these countries.
Energy Ministers recognized the unprecedented impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the energy sector. It was noted that electricity security and resilient energy systems are more indispensable than ever for providing uninterrupted supply of energy. They commended the contribution made by energy professionals in BRICS Countries and efforts taken by international communities to cope with the adverse impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the energy sector.
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
COVID-19 UPDATE
163.58cr vaccine doses have been administered so far under Nationwide Vaccination Drive
India's Active caseload currently stands at 22,23,018
Active cases standat 5.55%
Recovery Rate currently at 93.23%
2,99,073 recoveries in the last 24 hours increases Total Recoveries to3,73,70,971
2,85,914new cases recorded in the last 24 hours
Daily positivity rate 
Weekly Positivity Rate 
72.05cr Total Tests conducted so far; 17,69,745tests conducted in the last 24 hours
Ministry of Science & Technology
Centre takes steps to accelerate domestic vaccine production
Haffkine Biopharma to produce 22.8 crore doses per annum of Covaxin under technology transfer arrangement with Bharat Biotech
Mumbai | June 2, 2021
With the aim of vaccinating the entire eligible population at the earliest, domestic vaccine production is being steadily ramped up in the country with help from the Centre.
As part of this initiative, three public enterprises are being supported by the Department of Biotechnology under Atmanirbhar Bharat 3.0 Mission Covid Suraksha. These enterprises are the
1. Haffkine Biopharmaceutical Corporation Ltd, Mumbai,
2. Indian Immunologicals Ltd, Hyderabad and
3. Bharat Immunologicals & Biologicals Ltd, Bulandshahar, UP.
Haffkine Biopharma, a Maharashtra state PSU is getting ready to manufacture Covaxin vaccine under technology transfer arrangement with Bharat Biotech Ltd, Hyderabad. The production will take place at the Parel complex of the company.
Dr. Sandeep Rathod, Managing Director of Haffkine BioPharma said the company proposes to produce 22.8 crore doses of Covaxin in a year. “For undertaking production of Covaxin, Haffkine Biopharma has been provided with Rs 65 crore grant by the Centre and Rs 94 crore from the Government of Maharashtra” he added.
“We have been given a timeline of eight months and the work is being executed on a war footing. The vaccine production process involves two stages – drug substance and final drug product. For production of drug substance we need to build a Bio Safety Level 3  facility, while Haffkine already has the Fill Finish facility” said Rathod, the doctor turned IAS officer. BSL 3 is a safety standard applicable to such facilities where work involves microbes which can cause serious disease via inhalation route.
‘Enhancing vaccine production capacity using Public sectors assets will go a long way in building production capacity of vaccines in our country to support the massive vaccination drive” said, Dr Renu Swarup, Secretary Department of Biotechnology and Chairperson BIRAC 
Haffkine BioPharmaceutical Corporation Ltd is an offshoot of the 122 year old Haffkine Institute, which is one of the oldest biomedical research institutes in the country, named after the Russian bacteriologist Dr. Waldemar Haffkine, who invented the plague vaccine.
Sources :
• Department of Biotechnology background note.
• Interview with Dr. Sandeep Rathod, MD, Haffkine Biopharma, Mumbai
Message for TV News Channels / YouTube channels.
Haffkine Biopharma video feed available through ANI
Ministry of Development of North-East Region
Generation of Livelihood for Youths and Women under PM-DevINE
Prime Minister’s Development Initiative for North East Region , was announced as a new Central Sector Scheme with an initial allocation of Rs 1500 crore in the Union Budget 2022-23. The approval of the Cabinet was accorded for the PM-DevINE Scheme on 12 October, 2022. The scheme will have 100% Central funding, and has an outlay of Rs. 6,600 crore for the 4 year period from 2022-23 to 2025-26 .
The objectives of PM-DevINE are to:  Fund infrastructure convergently, in the spirit of PM GatiShakti;  Support social development projects based on felt needs of the NER;  Enable livelihood activities for youth and women; and  Fill the development gaps in various sectors.
Eleven projects amounting to Rs 1503.44 crore , including the seven projects announced in Budget 2022-23, have been selected for sanction in FY 2022-23.
PM-DevINE Scheme projects will lead to creation of infrastructure, social development projects, support industries and create livelihood activities for youth and women, thus leading to income and employment generation.
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S. No.
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Name of the project
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Approved Cost

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1
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Establishment of Dedicated Services for the Management of Pediatric and Adult Hematolymphoid Cancers in North East India, at Dr. B.Borooah Cancer Institute , Guwahati
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129.00
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2
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NECTAR Livelihood Improvement Project : Value Chain on Utilization of Banana Pseudo Stem for Value-Added Products.
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67.00
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3
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|
Promoting Scientific Organic Agriculture in North East India, using Improved Farming Technique & Digital Data Management through Capacity Building of Farmers and Facilitating Certification.
|
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45.00
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4
|
|
Construction of Aizwal By-pass on Western Side in Mizoram
|
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500.00
|
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5
|
|
Construction and upgradation of Bamboo Link Roads- from Tuirial Airfield to North Chaltlang  at a cost of Rs. 33.58 crore ; and from Lengpui to Saiphal Bamboo Plantation at a cost of Rs. 66.42 crore, in Mizoram
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100.00
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6
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Gap funding for Passenger Ropeway System from Pelling to Sanga-Choeling in West Sikkim
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64.00
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7
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Gap funding for Passenger Ropeway from Dhapper to Bhaleydunga in South Sikkim
|
|
58.00
|
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8
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Transformation of 20 schools as Centre of Excellence in the Kamrup District of Assam by Public Works Department, Government of Assam
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132.86
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|
9
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Construction of new four-lane road and conversion of existing two-lane road into four-lane with cycling tracks, utility ducts, footpaths, etc. at New Shillong Township by Directorate of Urban Affairs, Government of Meghalaya
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146.79
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10
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Livelihood projects relating to Special Development of Eastern Nagaland by Department of Under Developed Areas , Government of Nagaland
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180.00
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11
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Establishment of Solar Micro Grid for supply of reliable power to Remote Habitations in Tripura by Department of Power, Government of Tripura
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80.79
|
|
|
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Total
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1503.44
This information was given by Minister for Development of North Eastern Region Shri G. Kishan Reddy in the Lok Sabha in a written reply today.
Ministry of Finance
Exchange Rate of Foreign Currency Relating to Imported and Export Goods Notified
In exercise of the powers conferred by Section 14 of the Customs Act, 1962 , and in super-session of the Notification of the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs  No.87/2018-CUSTOMS , dated 18th October, 2018 except as respects things done or omitted to be done before such super-session, the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs  hereby determines that the rate of exchange of conversion of each of the foreign currencies specified in column  of each of Schedule I and Schedule II annexed hereto, into Indian currency or vice versa, shall, with effect from 2nd November, 2018, be the rate mentioned against it in the corresponding entry in Column  thereof, for the purpose of the said section, relating to Imported and Export Goods.
SCHEDULE-I
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Sl.No.
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Foreign Currency
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Rate of exchange of one unit of foreign currency equivalent to Indian rupees
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|

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|

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1.
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Australian Dollar
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53.80
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51.45
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2.
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Bahraini Dinar
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202.20
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189.80
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3.
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Canadian Dollar
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57.25
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55.20
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4.
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Chinese Yuan
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10.75
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10.45
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5.
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Danish Kroner
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11.45
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11.05
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6.
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EURO
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85.35
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82.30
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7.
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Hong Kong Dollar
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9.60
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9.25
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8.
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Kuwaiti Dinar
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251.05
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235.30
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9.
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New Zealand Dollar
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49.85
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47.45
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10.
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Norwegian Kroner
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|
8.95
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8.60
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11.
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Pound Sterling
|
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96.55
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93.25
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12.
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Qatari Riyal
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|
20.95
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|
19.65
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13.
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Saudi Arabian Riyal
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|
20.30
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|
19.10
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14.
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Singapore Dollar
|
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54.35
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|
52.50
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15.
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South African Rand
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5. 20
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4.85
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16.
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Swedish Kroner
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8.20
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|
7.95
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17.
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Swiss Franc
|
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74.70
|
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71.90
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|
18.
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|
UAE Dirham
|
|
20.75
|
|
19.50
|
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19.
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|
US Dollar
|
|
74.70
|
|
73.00
SCHEDULE-II
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Sl.No.
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Foreign Currency
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Rate of exchange of 100 units of foreign currency equivalent to Indian rupees
|
|

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|

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|

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1.
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Japanese Yen
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66.65
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64.25